Trade talks heated up in certain NBA cities and cooled down in others Wednesday as Thursday's 6 p.m. EST trading deadline moved closer.

The team most likely to make a major move was the Atlanta Hawks, who were sorting through offers for Mutombo from the 76ers, Knicks, Mavericks, Trail Blazers and Suns.

''Nothing may happen, but things have heated up dramatically the last 24 to 48 hours,'' Hawks general manager Pete Babcock said.

The Sixers and Knicks were believed to be the leading contenders, with Philadelphia offering a package including shot-blocking specialist Theo Ratliff and forward Matt Geiger and Atlanta asking for Toni Kukoc instead of Geiger. The Knicks were reportedly offering Marcus Camby and Glen Rice, with the Hawks asking for Allan Houston instead of Rice.

''You can never put it out of your mind because you asked about it everyday, especially in New York,'' Camby said. ''I'm content with everything and I'm just happy to be in the league.''

The Hawks were expected to wait until the last minute to see whether any team would sweeten its offer. If not, they will be content to keep Mutombo for the rest of the season and then decide whether to re-sign him or work out a sign-and-trade deal over the summer when the 7-foot-2 center becomes a free agent.

''If it works out that Dikembe stays, that's great for us. We'd love to have him finish his career here,'' Babcock said. ''But if we can make a trade by (Thursday) to better our team in the future, we'd do that.''

Kidd's name was prominent in the rumor mill for about 24 hours, but Phoenix general manager Bryan Colangelo said Kidd ''will not be traded.''

''A lot of teams are anticipating that we're in a panic mode, and we're not,'' Colangelo said. ''The way Jason has handled the circumstances (surrounding his arrest on domestic violence charges) and confronted this head-on, the fans have responded well.''

As for Payton, he was uncertain whether his 11-year career in Seattle was about to end.

Aaron Goodwin, Payton's agent, said he had heard the Sonics were discussing a trade with the Bucks, although an NBA source who spoke on condition of anonymity insisted Milwaukee was not in the mix on any Payton deal.

''I've been led to believe they're trying to do something without Gary's input, but we've grown to expect as much from Seattle,'' Goodwin said. ''If he got traded to Milwaukee, from my conversations with Gary that is not a place where he'd want to play.''

Goodwin, who also represents Abdur-Rahim, said he had been assured that Abdur-Rahim would not be dealt.

''I'm 100 percent certain, and Shareef is resigned to that fact,'' Goodwin said.

Portland had been rumored to be shopping reserve center Dale Davis, but general manager Bob Whitsitt rarely makes midseason deals and said he wasn't making any calls.

''We've felt good all year about our team, and we still feel good about it,'' Whitsitt said.

This article published in the Athens Daily News on Thursday, February 22, 2001.